Top brightest stars. The brightest star in the night sky

>The brightest star in the sky

Sirius is the brightest star: the meaning of the name Alpha Canis Majoris, characteristics and description with photos, distance from Earth, detection, list of the brightest stars.

Among all the stars known to us, the brightest in the sky is Sirius, which is also called the “Dog Star”. The official name is Alpha Canis Major, located in the constellation of the same name.

Sirius is a binary system with a main sequence (A) star whose apparent magnitude reaches -1.46. It is 8.7 light years away from us and is closest to Earth.

In 1844, Friedrich Bessel noticed that the orbital path of Sirius A was a bit like a wave, which meant there might be a faint satellite nearby. This was confirmed by Alvan Clarke in 1862. We are talking about Sirius B - a white dwarf that can be seen in a large telescope (it has little effect on the overall brightness of the system).

But there are other stars near us, why is Sirius the brightest? The fact is that most stars belong to the category of red dwarfs. They are not only small, but also dim. In fact, the closest is the red dwarf star Proxima Centauri. This is an M-type, less than a G-type (Sun). The brightest is A-type (Sirius).

The starry sky can captivate you for a lifetime thanks to its bright lights. Even with the naked eye you can see that some objects shine brighter than others. Scientists measure the brightness of celestial bodies using a scale. The smaller the object itself, the brighter it will be.

List of the brightest stars in the sky

We know which star is the brightest for an observer on Earth. However, other bright celestial bodies can be found in space. You can admire the brightest stars in the sky and their “apparent magnitudes” (as they are seen towards the Earth). Use our online star map to find them yourself through a telescope.

Achernar

The star Achernar is located in the constellation Eridanus and is 69 light years away from us. The apparent value is 0.46, and the absolute value is -1.3.

Procyon is located 11.4 light years away in the constellation Canis Minor. The apparent value is 0.38, with an absolute value of 2.6.

Rigel is located 1,400 light years away and nestles in the constellation Orion. The apparent value is 0.12, and the absolute value reaches -8.1.

Capella is located in the constellation Auriga (41 light years). The apparent magnitude is 0.08, and the absolute magnitude is 0.4.

The star Vega is located in the constellation Lyra (25 light years). The apparent value is 0.03, and the absolute value is 0.6.

Arcturus is located in the constellation Bootes (34 light years). The apparent value is -0.04, and the absolute value is 0.2.

Alpha Centauri is the third brightest star in the entire sky. It is located in the Alpha Centauri system and is 4.3 light years away. The apparent value reaches -0.27, and the absolute value – 4.4.

The star Canopus is located in the constellation Carina (74 light years). The apparent value is -0.72, and the absolute value reaches -2.5.

Lives in the constellation Canis Major. It is 8.6 light years away from us. The apparent value is -1.46, and the absolute value is 1.4.

The Sun is the closest star to us, 93 million miles away. The apparent magnitude is -26.72, and the absolute value is 4.2.

For the first time, stars began to be distinguished by brightness in the 2nd century BC by the ancient Greek astronomer Hipparchus. He identified 6 degrees of luminosity and introduced the concept of stellar magnitude. The German astronomer Johann Bayer at the beginning of the 17th century introduced the brightness of stars in the constellations by letters of the alphabet. The brightest luminaries for the human eye were called α of such and such a constellation, β - the next brightest, etc.

The hotter the star, the more light it emits.

Blue stars have the greatest luminosity. Less bright whites. Yellow stars have average luminosity, while red giants are considered the dimmest. The luminosity of a celestial body is a variable quantity. For example, dated July 4, 1054, talks about a star in the constellation Taurus so bright that it was visible even during the day. Over time, it began to fade, and after a year it could no longer be seen with the naked eye.

Now in the constellation Taurus you can observe the Crab Nebula - a trace after the explosion of a supernova. In the center of the nebula, astronomers have discovered a source of powerful radio emission - a pulsar. This is all that remains from a supernova explosion observed in 1054.

The brightest stars in the sky

The brightest stars in the Northern Hemisphere are Deneb from the constellation Cygnus and Rigel from the constellation Orion. They exceed the luminosity of the Sun by 72,500 and 55,000 times, respectively. They are located at a distance of 1600 and 820 light years from Earth. Another Northern star - Betelgeuse - is also located in the constellation Orion. It emits 22,000 times more light than the Sun.

Most of the brightest stars in the Northern Hemisphere can be observed in the constellation Orion.

Sirius, from the constellation Canis Major, is the brightest star visible from Earth. It can be observed in the Southern Hemisphere. Sirius is only 22.5 times brighter than the Sun, but the distance to this star is small by cosmic standards - 8.6 light years. Polaris in the constellation Ursa Minor is as large as 6000 Suns, but it is 780 light years away from us, so it looks dimmer than nearby Sirius.

In the constellation Taurus there is a star with the astronomical name UW SMa. You can only see her. This blue star is distinguished by its gigantic density and small spherical size. It is 860,000 times brighter than the Sun. This unique celestial body is considered the brightest object in the observable part of the Universe.

Sources:

• brightest stars in the northern hemisphere

The starry sky is enchanting. It has amazed people with its greatness since time immemorial. The realization that the Earth is just a grain of sand in the Universe makes your heart skip a beat. No one can say with certainty how many there are in the sky; you can only find out which star appears first.

Instructions

Venus appears as the first bright point in the evening sky, although it is not a star at all. If you want to see it, look west just after sunset. Of course, everything depends on weather conditions and time of year, but most often Venus is the first to be observed. It is the second planet from the Sun, some call it the "evening star". Even when night falls, it stands out quite brightly against the background of other stars, making it difficult not to notice. However, you can only observe Venus for a short time, only a couple of hours; by the middle of the night it seems to disappear. Few people know, but Venus can also be called a “morning star”, because when it has already gone out, this bright point continues to shine against the background of dawn. People have sung of Venus since time immemorial, deified her, praised her in poems, and depicted her on canvas. Yes, Venus is a planet, but for many, even today, as in ancient times, it remains the “evening star.”

Of all the stars, Sirius shines brightest for us, which is why it can be seen in the evening sky. The fact is that Sirius is located very close to the Earth, of course, if we think on a cosmic scale. The distance from planet Earth to the legendary star is only nine light years. However, in fact, Sirius is an ordinary star, no different from others. Only because of its short distance does Sirius seem like a majestic bright giant against the background of other, more distant stars.

10

• Alternative title:α Southern Pisces
• Apparent magnitude: 1,16
• Distance to the Sun: 25 St. years

The brightest star in the constellation Southern Pisces and one of the brightest stars in the night sky. The star's name means "whale's mouth" in Arabic.

Fomalhaut is considered a relatively young star, with an age of 200 to 300 million years and an estimated lifespan of a billion years. The temperature on the surface of the star is about 8500 degrees Kelvin. Fomalhaut is 2.3 times heavier than the Sun, its luminosity is 16 times greater, and its radius is 1.85 times greater. It was found that Fomalhaut belongs to the class of young stars. This star is approximately 250 million years old. For comparison, our Sun is 4.57 billion years old. It turns out that our Sun is 18 times older than the star Fomalhaut!

According to the latest work of astronomers, it turned out that Fomalhaut is part of a wide triple star system. It was first revealed that the companion of the main star Fomalhaut A is the orange dwarf TW Pisces Southern Pisces (Fomalhaut B), located 0.9 light years away. The third star in the system is the red dwarf LP 876-10 (Fomalhaut C). It is 2.5 light years away from Fomalhaut A and has its own cometary belt.

The star Fomalhaut is part of the Castor group. This group includes stars that have a common relationship, as well as a common route of movement in space. In addition to the star Fomalhaut, this group also includes such famous celestial bodies as Vega, Alderamin, Castor, Alpha Libra and others.

9

• Alternative title:α Virgo
• Apparent magnitude: 1.04 (variable)
• Distance to the Sun: 250 St. years

The star Spica or Alpha Virgo is the brightest star in the constellation Virgo. With an apparent magnitude of 0.98, Spica is the 15th brightest star in the night sky. Its absolute magnitude is -3.2, and its distance from Earth is 262 light years.

Spica is a close binary star whose components orbit a common center of mass every four days. They are located close enough to each other that they cannot be detected in a telescope as two separate stars. Changes in the orbital motion of this pair results in a Doppler shift in the absorption lines of their respective spectra, making them a spectral binary pair. The orbital parameters for this system were first derived using spectroscopic measurements.

The main star has a spectral class of B1 III-IV. It is a massive star, with a mass 10 times the mass of the Sun and a radius seven times greater. The total luminosity of this star is 12,100 times greater than that of the Sun and eight times greater than that of its companion. The main star of this pair is one of the closest stars to the Sun, which has enough mass to end its life in a Type II supernova explosion.

The secondary star of this system is one of the few stars that exhibits the Struve-Sahade effect. This is an anomalous change in the strength of spectral lines during orbit, where the lines become weaker as the star moves away from the observer. This star is smaller than the main one. Its mass is seven times that of the Sun, and the radius of the star is 3.6 solar radii. The star has a spectral class of B2 V, making it a main sequence star.

8

• Alternative title:α Scorpio
• Apparent magnitude: 0.91 (variable)
• Distance to the Sun:~610 St. years

The brightest star in the constellation Scorpius and one of the brightest stars in the night sky, a red supergiant. Enters Bubble I - the region adjacent to the Local Bubble, which includes the Solar System.

The word Antares comes from the Greek ανταρης, which means “against Ares (Mars)” due to its red color resembling the planet Mars. The color of this star has attracted the interest of many peoples throughout history. In the Arab astronomical tradition it was called Kalb al-Aqrab (Heart of Scorpio). Many ancient Egyptian temples were oriented in such a way that the light of Antares played a role in the ceremonies that took place within them. In ancient Persia, Antares, which they called Satevis, was one of the four royal stars. In ancient India it was called Jyeshtha.

Antares is a class M supergiant, with a diameter of approximately 2.1 10 9 km. Antares is approximately 600 light years away from Earth. Its visible luminosity is 10,000 times that of the sun, but given that the star emits much of its energy in the infrared, the total luminosity is 65,000 times that of the sun. The star's mass is between 12 and 13 solar masses. The huge size and relatively small mass indicate that Antares has a very low density.

Along with Aldebaran, Spica and Regulus, Antares is one of the four brightest stars near the ecliptic. Located approximately 5° from the ecliptic, it is periodically occulted by the Moon and occasionally by planets. The sun passes just under 5° north of Antares every year on December 2nd.

Antares has a blue, hot companion star (Antares B) at a distance of about 2.9 arcseconds. Although it is 5th magnitude, it is usually difficult to see due to the brightness of Antares A. It can be observed with a small telescope for a few seconds during lunar occultation, when the main component of Antares is obscured by the Moon; Antares B was discovered by the Viennese astronomer Johann Tobias Bürg during one of these occultations on April 13, 1819. The satellite's orbital period is 878 years.

7

• Alternative title:α Southern Cross
• Apparent magnitude: 0,79
• Distance to the Sun:~330 St. years

The star Acrux or Alpha Southern Cross is the “North Star” of the Southern Hemisphere. With its help, travelers still determine the direction to the south.

The star Acrux or Alpha Crucis is the brightest star in the Southern Cross constellation and the twelfth brightest in the entire night sky. This star is one of the few observed stars in the night sky whose name does not have a mythological origin. It was formed simply from the name of the constellation Southern Cross itself, which in Latin sounds like “Crux”. Alpha constellation Southern Cross - Alpha Crux - A-Crux.

Observations made by astronomers in the past and present centuries have shown that Acrux is in fact a system consisting of three stars. These stars can be distinguished from each other by observing them even with a home telescope. The first star of the Acrux system, Alpha 1, is a spectroscopic double star. With its companion, it rotates in the same orbit with a period of 76 Earth days.

As we have already found out, Acrux is a system of three stars, the closest of which are located at a distance of 320 astronomical units from the Solar System. Alpha 1, the main star of this system, has a magnitude of 1.40. Its mass is approximately 14 times that of our Sun. The second largest star in this system, Alpha 2, has a magnitude of 2.04 and a mass 10 times the weight of the Sun. As for the third star, it is still not clear whether it is gravitationally connected to the Acrux system or not. According to some data, it is a subgiant included in this system. According to others, this is a separate spectroscopic double star that is not related to Acrux. Perhaps further research by astronomers will help resolve this issue.

6

• Alternative title:(β Centauri
• Apparent magnitude: 0.61 (variable)
• Distance to the Sun:~400 St. years

The second brightest star in the constellation Centaurus and the eleventh brightest star in the night sky. Hadar is a blue-white giant located approximately 525 light-years from the Solar System.

Beta Centauri has two most common names: Hadar and Agena. The first comes from Arabic and is translated as “bottom”. The second has Latin roots and is translated as “knee”. Both names are associated with the location of the star in the constellation Centaurus.

Data obtained by astronomer J. Booth back in 1935 confirmed that Beta Centauri is in fact a system consisting of three stars. The star Hadar itself, or, as it is also called, Hadar-A, is a pair of twin stars of spectral class B, which are three astronomical units apart from each other. This distance can vary due to the elliptical orbit in which these bodies move in outer space around a common center of mass. Hadar-B is a space object located at a considerable distance from the first two - 210 astronomical units. This star is smaller in size.

All three stars of the Hadar system move in the same orbit around a common center of mass with a period of 600 Earth years. Typically, when talking about the Hadar system, astronomers are referring to the Hadar-A group of stars, consisting of twin stars. The twin stars of the Hadar system are ancient space objects. The data obtained indicate that their age is at least 12 million years. Also, companion stars have quite a large mass. According to various sources, it is within 11-14 masses of our Sun. Current evidence indicates that Hadar-A's twin stars are constantly expanding. This leads some astronomers to believe that they will soon turn into red supergiants and then explode as supernovae.

5

• Alternative title:α Eridani
• Apparent magnitude: 0,46
• Distance to the Sun: 69 St. years

Achernar is the brightest star in the constellation Eridanus and the ninth brightest in the entire night sky. Located at the southern tip of the constellation. Of the ten brightest stars, Achernar is the hottest and the bluest. The star rotates unusually quickly around its axis, which is why it has a highly elongated shape. Achernar is a double star. As of 2003, Achernar is the least spherical star studied. The star rotates at a speed of 260-310 km/s, which is up to 85% of the critical break up velocity. Due to the high speed of rotation, Achernar is strongly flattened - its equatorial diameter is more than 50% greater than its polar diameter. The Achernar axis of rotation is inclined at an angle of about 65% to the line of sight.

Achernar is a bright blue double star with a total mass of about eight solar masses. It is a main sequence star of spectral class B6 Vep, with a luminosity more than three thousand times that of the Sun. The distance from the star to the solar system is approximately 139 light years.

Observations of the star with the VLT telescope showed that Achernar has a companion orbiting at a distance of approximately 12.3 AU. and rotating with a period of 14-15 years. Achernar B is a star with a mass of about two solar masses, spectral class A0V-A3V.

The name comes from the Arabic آخر النهر (ākhir an-nahr) - "end of the river" and most likely originally belonged to the star θ Eridani, which bears its own name Akamar with the same etymology.

4

• Alternative title:β Orionis
• Apparent magnitude: 0.12 (variable)
• Distance to the Sun:~870 St. years

With an apparent magnitude of 0.12, Rigel is the seventh brightest star in the sky. Its absolute magnitude is -7 and is located at a distance of ~870 light years from us.

Rigel has a spectral class of B8Iae, a surface temperature of 11,000° Kelvin, and its luminosity is 66,000 times greater than that of the Sun. The star has a mass 17 solar masses and a diameter 78 times that of the Sun.

Rigel is the brightest star in our local region of the Milky Way. The star is so bright that when viewed from a distance of one astronomical unit (the distance from the Earth to the Sun), it will shine as an extremely bright ball with an angular diameter of 35° and an apparent magnitude of -32 (for comparison, the apparent magnitude is − 26.72). The power flow at this distance will be the same as from a welding arc at a distance of several millimeters. Any object located so close will evaporate under the influence of a strong stellar wind.

Rigel is a famous binary star that was first observed by Vasily Yakovlevich Struve in 1831. Although Rigel B has a relatively faint magnitude, its proximity to Rigel A, which is 500 times brighter, makes it a target for amateur astronomers. According to calculations, Rigel B is removed from Rigel A at a distance of 2200 astronomical units. Due to such a colossal distance between them, there is no sign of orbital motion, although they have the same proper motion.

Rigel B is itself a spectroscopic binary system, consisting of two main sequence stars orbiting a common center of gravity every 9.8 days. Both stars belong to the spectral type B9V.

Rigel is a variable star, which is not common among supergiants, with a magnitude range of 0.03-0.3, changing every 22-25 days.

3

• Alternative title:α Centauri
• Apparent magnitude: −0,27
• Distance to the Sun: 4.3 St. years

Alpha Centauri is a double star in the constellation Centaurus. Both components, α Centauri A and α Centauri B, are visible to the naked eye as a single star -0.27m, making α Centauri the third brightest star in the night sky. Most likely, this system also includes the red dwarf Proxima or α Centauri C, invisible to the naked eye, which is 2.2° away from the bright double star. All three are the stars closest to the Sun, with Proxima currently somewhat closer than the others.

α Centauri has its own names: Rigel Centaurus (romanization of the Arabic رجل القنطور‎ - “foot of the Centaur”), Bungula (possibly from the Latin ungula - “hoof”) and Toliman (possibly from the Arabic الظلمان‎ [al-Zulman] "Ostriches"), but they are used quite rarely.

The first star, Centauri A, is very similar to the Sun. There is a cold thin layer in the atmosphere. Alpha's mass is 0.08 greater than the mass of the Sun, and it shines brighter and hotter. She is often reproached for overshadowing Beta Centauri, but thanks to her dual alliance, her friends are visible in the sky.

The second star, Centauri B, is 12% smaller than the Sun, therefore, cooler. It is separated from Centaurus A by a distance of 23 astronomical units. The stars are highly interconnected. The forces of mutual attraction affect the processes occurring on surfaces, as well as the formation of planets. Centauri B rotates relative to Centauri A. The orbit is similar to a highly elongated ellipse. It completes a revolution in 80 years, which is very fast on a cosmic scale.

The third component of the system is the star Proxima Centauri. The star's name means "nearest". It got its name because, thanks to its orbit, it comes as close as possible to the Earth. An object of eleventh magnitude. Proxima orbits two stars every 500 thousand years. According to some sources, the rotation period reaches a million years. Its temperature is very low to heat nearby objects, so planets are not looked for near it. Proxima is a red dwarf star that sometimes produces very powerful flares.

It would take 1.1 million years for a modern spaceship to reach Alpha Centauri, so this won't happen in the near future.

2

• Alternative title:α Carina
• Apparent magnitude: −0,72
• Distance to the Sun: 310 St. years

The star Canopus or Alpha Carinae is the brightest star in the constellation Carina. With an apparent magnitude of -0.72, Canopus is the second brightest star in the sky. Its absolute magnitude is -5.53, and it is distant from us at a distance of 310 light years.

Canopus has a spectral class of A9II, a surface temperature of 7350° Kelvin and a luminosity of 13,600 times that of the Sun. The star Canopus has a mass of 8.5 solar masses and a diameter 65 times that of the Sun.

The diameter of the star Canopus is 0.6 astronomical units, or 65 times that of the Sun. If Canopus were located at the center of the solar system, its outer edges would extend three-quarters of the way to Mercury. The Earth had to be removed at a distance three times the orbit of Pluto in order for Canopus to appear in the sky just like our Sun.

Canopus is a supergiant of spectral class F and appears white when viewed with the naked eye. With a luminosity of 13,600 times that of the Sun, Canopus is essentially the brightest star, up to 700 light-years from the Solar System. If Canopus were located at a distance of 1 astronomical unit (the distance from the Earth to the Sun), it would have an apparent magnitude of -37.

1

• Alternative title:α Canis Majoris
• Apparent magnitude: −1,46
• Distance to the Sun: 8.6 St. years

The brightest star in the night sky is undoubtedly Sirius. It shines in the constellation Canis Major and is clearly visible in the Northern Hemisphere during the winter months. Although its luminosity is 22 times greater than the luminosity of the Sun, it is by no means a record in the world of stars - the high visible brilliance of Sirius is due to its relative proximity. In the Southern Hemisphere, it is visible during summer, north of the Arctic Circle. The star is located approximately 8.6 light years from the Sun and is one of the closest stars to us. Its brilliance is the result of its true brightness and its proximity to us.

Sirius has a spectral class of A1Vm, a surface temperature of 9940° Kelvin and a luminosity 25 times greater than that of the Sun. The mass of Sirius is 2.02 solar masses, the diameter is 1.7 times greater than that of the Sun.

Back in the 19th century, astronomers, when studying Sirius, noticed that its trajectory, although straight, was subject to periodic fluctuations. In the projection of the starry sky, it (the trajectory) looked like a wavy curve. Moreover, its periodic fluctuations could be detected even over a short period of time, which in itself was surprising since we were talking about stars - which are billions of kilometers away from us. Astronomers have suggested that a hidden object that revolves around Sirius with a period of about 50 years is to blame for such “wiggles”. 18 years after the bold assumption, a small star was discovered near Sirius, which has a magnitude of 8.4 and is the first discovered white dwarf, and also the most massive, discovered to date.

The Sirius system is about 200-300 million years old. The system originally consisted of two bright bluish stars. The more massive Sirius B, consuming its resources, became a red giant before ejecting its outer layers and becoming a white dwarf about 120 million years ago. In conversation, Sirius is known as the "Dog Star", reflecting its affiliation with the constellation Canis Major. The sunrise of Sirius marked the flooding of the Nile in Ancient Egypt. The name Sirius comes from the ancient Greek “luminous” or “incandescent”.

Sirius is brighter than the closest star to the Sun - Alpha Centauri, or even supergiants such as Canopus, Rigel, Betelgeuse. Knowing the exact coordinates of Sirius in the sky, it can be seen with the naked eye during the day. For best viewing, the sky should be very clear and the Sun should be low on the horizon. Sirius is currently approaching the solar system at a speed of 7.6 km/s, so the apparent brightness of the star will slowly increase over time.

The starry sky has always attracted man. Even being at a low stage of development, dressing in animal skins and using stone tools, a person already raised his head and looked at the mysterious points that shimmered mysteriously in the depths of the vast sky.

Stars have become one of the foundations of human mythology. According to ancient people, this is where the gods lived. The stars have always been something sacred for humans, unattainable for an ordinary mortal. One of the most ancient sciences of mankind was astrology, which studied the influence of heavenly bodies on human life.

Today, the stars remain in the center of our attention, but, however, astronomers are more involved in their study, and science fiction writers come up with stories about the time when man will be able to reach the stars. An ordinary person often raises his head to admire the beautiful stars in the night sky, just as his distant ancestors did millions of years ago. We have compiled a list for you that contains the brightest stars in the sky.

In tenth place on our list is Betelgeuse, astronomers call it α Orionis. This star poses a great mystery to astronomers: they still argue about its origin and cannot understand its periodic variability.

This star belongs to the class of red giants and its size is 500-800 times greater than the size of our Sun. If we were to move it into our system, its boundaries would extend to the orbit of Jupiter. Over the past 15 years, the size of this star has decreased by 15%. Scientists still do not understand the reason for this phenomenon.

Betelgeuse is located 570 light years from the Sun, so a trip to it will definitely not take place in the near future.

The first star in this constellation, it ranks ninth on our list brightest stars in the night sky. Achernar is located at the very end of the constellation Eridanus. This star is classified as a blue star; it is eight times heavier than our Sun and exceeds it in brightness a thousand times.

Achernar is located 144 light years from our solar system and travel to it in the near future also looks unlikely. Another interesting feature of this star is that it rotates around its axis at tremendous speed.

This star is the eighth by its brightness in our sky. The name of this star is translated from Greek as “before the dog.” Procyon is part of the winter triangle, along with the stars Sirius and Betelgeuse.

This star is a double star. In the sky we can see the larger star of the pair; the second star is a small white dwarf.

There is a legend associated with this star. The constellation Canis Minor symbolizes the dog of the first winemaker Icarius, who was killed by treacherous shepherds after giving him their own wine to drink. The faithful dog found his owner's grave.

This star is seventh brightest in our sky. The main reason for the rather low place in our ranking is the very large distance between the Earth and this star. If Rigel were a little closer (at the distance of Sirius, for example), then in its brightness it would surpass many other luminaries.

Rigel belongs to the class of blue-white supergiants. The size of this star is impressive: it is 74 times larger than our Sun. Actually, Rigel is not one star, but three: in addition to the giant, this stellar company includes two more small stars.

Rigel is located 870 light years from the Sun, which is a lot.

Translated from Arabic, the name of this star means “leg”. People have known this star for a very long time; it was included in the mythology of many peoples, starting with the ancient Egyptians. They considered Rigel to be the incarnation of Osiris, one of the most powerful gods in their pantheon.

One of the most beautiful stars in our sky. This is a double star, which in ancient times was an independent constellation and symbolized a goat with kids. Capella is a double star that consists of two yellow giants that orbit around a common center. Each of these stars is 2.5 times heavier than our Sun and they are located at a distance of 42 light years from our planetary system. These stars are much brighter than our sun.

An ancient Greek legend is associated with Capella, according to which Zeus was suckled by the goat Amalthea. One day Zeus carelessly broke off one of the animal’s horns and so a cornucopia appeared in the world.

One of the brightest and most beautiful stars in our sky. It is located 25 light years from our Sun (which is quite a short distance). Vega belongs to the constellation Lyra, the size of this star is almost three times the size of our Sun.

This star rotates around its axis at breakneck speed.

Vega can be called one of the most studied stars. It is located a short distance away and is very convenient for research.

Many myths of different peoples of our planet are associated with this star. At our latitudes, Vega is one of the brightest stars in the sky and is second only to Sirius and Arcturus.

One of the brightest and most beautiful stars in the sky, which can be observed anywhere on the globe. The reasons for this brightness are the large size of the star and the small distance from it to our planet.

Arcturus belongs to the class of red giants and is enormous in size. The distance from our solar system to this star is “only” 36.7 light years. It is more than 25 times larger than our star. At the same time, the brightness of Arcturus is 110 times higher than the Sun.

This star owes its name to the constellation Ursa Major. Translated from Greek, its name means “guardian of the bear.” Arcturus is very easy to draw in the starry sky; you just need to draw an imaginary arc through the handle of the Ursa Major bucket.

In second place on our list is a triple star, which belongs to the constellation Centaurus. This star system consists of three stars: two of them are close in size to our Sun and the third star, which is a red dwarf called Proxima Centauri.

Astronomers call the double star that we can see with the naked eye Toliban. These stars are very close to our planetary system, which is why they appear very bright to us. In fact, their brightness and size are quite modest. The distance from the Sun to these stars is only 4.36 light years. By astronomical standards, it's almost there. Proxima Centauri was discovered only in 1915, it behaves quite strangely, its brightness periodically changes.

This the second brightest star in our sky. But, unfortunately, we will not be able to see it, because Canopus is visible only in the southern hemisphere of our planet. In the northern part it is visible only in tropical latitudes.

It is the brightest star in the southern hemisphere and plays the same role in navigation as the North Star in the northern hemisphere.

Canopus is a huge star, eight times larger than our star. This star belongs to the class of supergiants, and it is in second place in brightness only because the distance to it is very great. The distance from the Sun to Canopus is about 319 light years. Canopus is the brightest star within a radius of 700 light years.

There is no consensus on the origin of the name of the star. Most likely, it got its name in honor of the helmsman who was on the ship of Menelaus (this is a character in the Greek epic about the Trojan War).

The brightest star in our sky, which belongs to the constellation Canis Major. This star can be called the most important for earthlings, of course, after our Sun. Since ancient times, people have been very kind and respectful of this luminary. There are numerous myths and legends about him. The ancient Egyptians placed their gods on Sirius. This star can be observed from anywhere on the earth's surface.

The ancient Sumerians observed Sirius and believed that it was on it that the gods who created life on our planet were located. The Egyptians watched this star very carefully; it was associated with their religious cults of Osiris and Isis. In addition, they used Sirius to determine the time of the Nile flood, which was important for agriculture.

If we talk about Sirius from the point of view of astronomy, it should be noted that it is a double star, which consists of a star of spectral class A1 and a white dwarf (Sirius B). You will not be able to see the second star with the naked eye. Both stars revolve around a single center with a period of 50 years. Sirius A is about twice the size of our Sun.

Sirius is 8.6 light years away from us.

The ancient Greeks believed that Sirius was the dog of the star hunter Orion, who pursues his prey. There is an African tribe, the Dogon, who worship Sirius. But this is not surprising. Africans, who did not know writing, had information about the existence of Sirius B, which was discovered only in the middle of the 19th century with the help of fairly advanced telescopes. The Dogon calendar is compiled on the basis of the rotation periods of Sirius B around Sirius A. And it is compiled quite accurately. Where the primitive African tribe got all this information is a mystery.

Not everyone knows the names of stars and constellations, but many have heard the most popular ones.

Constellations are expressive star groups, and the names of stars and constellations contain special magic.

The information that tens of thousands of years ago, even before the emergence of the first civilizations, people began to give them names does not raise any doubts. Space is filled with heroes and monsters from legends, and the skies of our northern latitudes are mainly populated by characters from the Greek epic.

Photos of constellations in the sky and their names

48 ancient constellations - decoration of the celestial sphere. Each one has a legend associated with it. And it’s not surprising - stars played a big role in people’s lives. Navigation and large-scale agriculture would be impossible without a good knowledge of celestial bodies.

Of all the constellations, the non-setting ones are distinguished, located at 40 degrees latitude or higher. Residents of the northern hemisphere always see them, regardless of the time of year.

5 main non-setting constellations in alphabetical order - The Dragon, Cassiopeia, Ursa Major and Minor, Cepheus . They are visible all year round, especially well in the south of Russia. Although at northern latitudes the circle of non-setting stars is wider.

It is important that the objects of the constellations are not necessarily located nearby. To an observer on earth, the surface of the sky appears flat, but in fact some stars are much further away than others. Therefore, it would be incorrect to write “the ship made a jump into the constellation Microscope” (there is such a thing in the southern hemisphere). “The ship can make a jump towards the Microscope” - that would be correct.

The brightest star in the sky

The brightest is Sirius in Canis Major. At our northern latitudes it is visible only in winter. One of the largest cosmic bodies closest to the sun, its light travels to us for only 8.6 years.

Among the Sumerians and ancient Egyptians he had the status of a deity. 3,000 years ago, Egyptian priests used the rise of Sirius to accurately determine the time of the Nile flood.

Sirius is a double star. The visible component (Sirius A) is approximately 2 times more massive than the Sun and shines 25 times more intensely. Sirius B is a white dwarf with nearly the mass of the sun, with a brightness of a quarter solar.

Sirius B is perhaps the most massive white dwarf known to astronomers. Ordinary dwarfs of this class are half as light.

Arcturus in Bootes is the brightest in northern latitudes and is one of the most unusual luminaries. Age – 7.3 billion years, almost half the age of the universe. With a mass approximately equal to the sun, it is 25 times larger, since it consists of the lightest elements - hydrogen, helium. Apparently, when Arcturus was formed, there were not so many metals and other heavy elements in the universe.

Like a king in exile, Arcturus moves through space surrounded by a retinue of 52 smaller stars. Perhaps they are all part of a galaxy that was swallowed up by our Milky Way a long, long time ago.

Arcturus is almost 37 light years away - also not so far, on a cosmic scale. It belongs to the class of red giants and shines 110 times stronger than the Sun. The picture shows the comparative sizes of Arcturus and the Sun.

Star names by color

The color of a star depends on temperature, and temperature depends on mass and age. The hottest are young, massive blue giants, with surface temperatures reaching 60,000 Kelvin and masses up to 60 solar. Class B stars are not much inferior, the brightest representative of which is Spica, alpha of the Virgo constellation.

The coldest ones are small, old red dwarfs. On average, the surface temperature is 2-3 thousand Kelvin, and the mass is a third of the sun. The diagram clearly shows how color depends on size.

Based on temperature and color, stars are divided into 7 spectral classes, indicated in the astronomical description of the object in Latin letters.

Beautiful names of stars

The language of modern astronomy is dry and practical; among the atlases you will not find stars with names. But ancient people named the brightest and most important night luminaries. Most of the names are of Arabic origin, but there are also those that go back to hoary antiquity, to the times of the ancient Akkadians and Sumerians.

Polar. Dim, the last one in the handle of the Little Dipper, a guiding sign for all sailors of antiquity. Polar hardly moves and always points north. Every people in the northern hemisphere has a name for it. “Iron stake” of the ancient Finns, “Tied horse” of the Khakass, “Hole in the sky” of the Evenks. The ancient Greeks, famous travelers and sailors, called the polar “Kinosura”, which translates as “dog’s tail”.

Sirius. The name apparently came from ancient Egypt, where the star was associated with the hypostasis of the goddess Isis. In ancient Rome it was called Vacation, and our “vacation” comes directly from this word. The fact is that Sirius appeared in Rome at dawn, in the summer, on the days of the greatest heat, when the life of the city froze.

Aldebaran. In its movement it always follows the Pleiades cluster. In Arabic it means "follower". The Greeks and Romans called Aldebaran "Eye of the Calf".

The Pioneer 10 probe, launched in 1972, is heading directly towards Aldebaran. Estimated time of arrival is 2 million years.

Vega. Arab astronomers called it “Falling Eagle” (An nahr Al wagi). From the distorted “wagi”, that is, “falling”, the name Vega came. In ancient Rome, the day it crossed the horizon before sunrise was considered the last day of summer.

Vega was the first star (after the Sun) to be photographed. This happened almost 200 years ago in 1850, at the Oxford Observatory.

Betelgeuse. The Arabic designation is Yad Al Juza (hand of the twin). In the Middle Ages, due to confusion in translation, the word was read as "Bel Juza" and "Betelgeuse" arose.

Science fiction writers love the star. One of the characters in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy comes from a small planet in the Betelgeuse system.

Fomalhaut. Alpha Southern Pisces. In Arabic it means “Fish Mouth”. The 18th brightest night luminary. Archaeologists have discovered evidence of the veneration of Fomalhaut back in the prehistoric period, 2.5 thousand years ago.

Canopus. One of the few stars whose name does not have Arabic roots. According to the Greek version, the word goes back to Canopus, the helmsman of King Menelaus.

The planet Arrakis, from the famous series of books by F. Herbert, revolves around Canopus.

How many constellations are there in the sky

As it was established, people united stars into groups 15,000 years ago. In the first written sources, i.e. 2 millennia ago, 48 constellations are described. They are still in the sky, only the big Argo no longer exists - it was divided into 4 smaller ones - Stern, Sail, Keel and Compass.

Thanks to the development of navigation, new constellations began to appear in the 15th century. Bizarre figures decorate the sky - Peacock, Telescope, Indian. The exact year when the last of them appeared is known - 1763.

At the beginning of the last century, a general revision of the constellations took place. Astronomers counted 88 star groups - 28 in the northern hemisphere and 45 in the southern. The 13 constellations of the zodiac belt stand apart. And this is the final result; astronomers do not plan to add new ones.

Constellations of the northern hemisphere - list with pictures

Unfortunately, you cannot see all 28 constellations in one night; celestial mechanics are inexorable. But in return we have a pleasant variety. Winter and summer skies look different.

Let's talk about the most interesting and noticeable constellations.

Big Dipper- the main landmark of the night sky. With its help it is easy to find other astronomical objects.

tip of the tail Ursa Minor- the famous North Star. Celestial bears have long tails, unlike their earthly relatives.

The Dragon- a large constellation between Ursa. It is impossible not to mention μ Dragon, which is called Arrakis, which means “dancer” in ancient Arabic. Kuma (ν Draco) is double, which can be observed with ordinary binoculars.

It is known that ρ Cassiopeia – supergiant, it is hundreds of thousands of times brighter than the Sun. In 1572, the last explosion to date occurred in Cassiopeia.

The ancient Greeks did not come to a consensus whose Lyra. Different legends give it to different heroes - Apollo, Orpheus or Orion. The notorious Vega enters Lyra.

Orion- the most noticeable astronomical formation in our sky. The large stars in Orion's belt are called the Three Kings or Magi. The famous Betelgeuse is located here.

Cepheus can be seen all year round. In 8,000 years, one of its stars, Alderamin, will become the new polar star.

IN Andromeda lies the M31 nebula. This is a nearby galaxy, visible to the naked eye on a clear night. The Andromeda nebula is 2 million light years away from us.

A beautiful constellation name Veronica's hair owes it to the Egyptian queens who sacrificed her hair to the gods. In the direction of Coma Berenices is the north pole of our galaxy.

Alpha Bootes- the famous Arcturus. Beyond Bootes, at the very edge of the observable universe, lies the galaxy Egsy8p7. This is one of the most distant objects known to astronomers - 13.2 billion light years away.

Constellations for children - all the fun

Curious young astronomers will be interested in learning about the constellations and seeing them in the sky. Parents can arrange a night excursion for their children, talking about the amazing science of astronomy and seeing some of the constellations with their own eyes together with the children. These short and understandable stories will surely appeal to little researchers.

Ursa Major and Ursa Minor

In ancient Greece, the gods turned everyone into animals and threw anyone into the sky. That's how they were. One day, the wife of Zeus turned a nymph named Callisto into a bear. And the nymph had a little son who knew nothing about the fact that his mother had become a bear.

When the son grew up, he became a hunter and went to the forest with a bow and arrow. And it so happened that he met a mother bear. When the hunter raised his bow and shot, Zeus stopped time and threw everyone together - the bear, the hunter and the arrow into the sky.

Since then, the Big Dipper has been walking across the sky together with the little one, which the hunter son has turned into. And the arrow also remains in the sky, only it will never hit anywhere - such is the order in the sky.

The Big Dipper is always easy to find in the sky, it looks like a large ladle with a handle. And if you found the Big Dipper, it means the Little Dipper is walking nearby. And although Ursa Minor is not so noticeable, there is a way to find it: the two outermost stars in the bucket will point in the exact direction to the polar star - this is the tail of Ursa Minor.

polar Star

All the stars are spinning slowly, only Polaris stands still. She always points to the north, for this she is called a guide.

In ancient times, people sailed on ships with large sails, but without a compass. And when the ship is on the open sea and the shores are not visible, you can easily get lost.

When this happened, the experienced captain waited until nightfall to see the North Star and find the north direction. And knowing the direction to the north, you can easily determine where the rest of the world is and where to sail to bring the ship to its home port.

The Dragon

Among the night luminaries in the sky lives a star dragon. According to legend, the dragon participated in the wars of the gods and titans at the very dawn of time. The goddess of war, Athena, in the heat of battle, took and threw a huge dragon into the sky, just between the Big Dipper and the Little Dipper.

The Dragon is a large constellation: 4 stars form its head, 14 form its tail. Its stars are not very bright. This must be because the Dragon is already old. After all, a lot of time has passed since the dawn of time, even for the Dragon.

Orion

Orion was the son of Zeus. In his life he accomplished many feats, became famous as a great hunter, and became the favorite of Artemis, the goddess of the hunt. Orion loved to boast of his strength and luck, but one day he was stung by a scorpion. Artemis rushed to Zeus and asked to save her pet. Zeus threw Orion into the sky, where the great hero of ancient Greece still lives.

Orion is the most remarkable constellation in the northern sky. It is large and consists of bright stars. In winter, Orion is completely visible and easy to find: look for a large hourglass with three bright bluish stars in the middle. These stars are called Orion's belt and their names are Alnitak (left), Alnilam (middle) and Mintak (right).

Knowing Orion, it is easier to navigate the other constellations and find stars.

Sirius

Knowing the position of Orion, you can easily find the famous Sirius. You need to draw a line to the right of Orion's belt. Just look for the brightest star. It is important to remember that it is visible in the northern sky only in winter.

Sirius is the brightest in the sky. It is part of the constellation Canis Major, the faithful satellite of Orion.

There are actually two stars in Sirius, circling each other. One star is hot and bright, we see its light. And the other half is so dim that you can’t see it with a regular telescope. But once upon a time, many millions of years ago, these parts were one huge whole. If we lived in those times, Sirius would shine for us 20 times stronger!

Questions and answers section

Which star's name means "brilliant, sparkling"?

- Sirius. It is so bright that it can be seen even during the day.

What constellations can be seen with the naked eye?

- Everything is possible. Constellations were invented by ancient people, long before the invention of the telescope. In addition, without having a telescope with you, you can even see planets, for example, Venus, Mercury, etc.

Which constellation is the largest?

- Hydras. It is so long that it does not fit entirely in the northern sky and goes beyond the southern horizon. The length of Hydra is almost a quarter of the circumference of the horizon.

Which constellation is the smallest?

— The smallest, but at the same time the brightest, is the Southern Cross. It is located in the southern hemisphere.

What constellation is the Sun in?

The Earth revolves around the Sun, and we see how it passes through as many as 12 constellations per year, one for each month. They are called the Zodiac Belt.

Conclusion

The stars have long fascinated people. And although the development of astronomy allows us to look further into the depths of space, the charm of the ancient names of stars does not go away.

When we look into the night sky, we see the past, ancient myths and legends, and the future - because one day people will go to the stars.